BEHIND THE MUSIC

Option Ego was conceived in Oklahoma November 2021. The man behind Option Ego was born almost 4 decades earlier to the day. Raised in a musically gifted family from Oklahoma, all Option Ego ever knew was music. Starting with piano lessons at 6, followed by years of voice lessons and various performances across the state, he was eventually accepted to the University of Oklahoma on a vocal scholarship. While at OU, he formed the bands SURE & 25Kay that were regulars around the Norman and OKC music scene. As the local crowds grew, so did his musical aspirations. A management company signed him to record his first studio album in Nashville, Tennessee, and the band set out on the road playing all over the U.S. After a year or so of touring, the band called it quits and returned to Oklahoma. He was not done chasing yet. 
 
An up-and-coming band in New Jersey, called Woodfish, was holding auditions for a new front front man; he got the gig. As the lead singer of Woodfish, he had the privilege of playing CBGB’s in NYC before it closed, the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, and many other famous east coast venues. His band won several awards and he got nominated for top male vocalist for the Asbury Park Music Awards in 2006. His most memorable show ever was in Red Bank, NJ where he met his wife. 
 
After a year in New York, life took the two to Denver and, for the first time, he felt his musical window of opportunity closing. He decided to join a band that had written and recorded a full album; however, the songs had no lyrics/melodies and the band, no lead singer. He once again auditioned and got the gig with the band Black Postcards and finished recording the album in Boulder, CO. After releasing the album Shadowbox, the band played many shows in Denver including Larimer Lounge, Soiled Dove, and South Park Music Festival. After going their separate ways as a band, Option Ego and his musical writing brother of almost 10 years, Adam Brinkman from Black Postcards, have continued to write and record entirely virtually – from Oklahoma City to Germany. The twohave an indie rock EP set to be released in 2022 under the band name Royal Antlers. . This is the opposite of his alt-er ego, where his music is serious, artsy, and vulnerable, nothing like Option Ego. 
 
A move back to Oklahoma in 2018 with his wife, son, and a little girl on the way all but ended his musical journey. Until…. the pandemic. “I found myself super depressed about the world, covid, politics... It was just all too much. I needed an escape. I needed to step out of my comfort zone, my own body, and the real world and create a safe place where I could make people laugh and do music.” That is when the idea to create an alter ego started to form. Option is the “alt” key on his MacBook where he writes, records, and performs every aspect of the music; after one performance you can see where Ego comes from. For a guy who is a self-proclaimed failed hack musician with a small dick, he is noticeably confident in his abilities to perform. 
 
Option Ego started to write down things that made him laugh. Like girls on Instagram in Oklahoma, Howard Stern saying that stepmom porn was the most watched porn in the U.S., penis size obsession, being drunk in Ubers, dancing with guys, strip clubs, and weddings. Then, he thought about making the music dancy or anthemic as part of the joke. 
 
Option Ego wanted to do one last show and as he puts it “end his failed career on his own terms” but as it turned out, Option Ego wrote a full album while preparing for the show. Once the songs were finished, he found a guy in Germany to mix the songs because no studios in Oklahoma wanted their name attached to the content. It may have been a blessing in disguise his new German connection, Axel Latta, is a genius. The language barrier made it all about the music. Having personally written every lyric, performed every instrument, and produced the record himself, Option Ego had to trust Axel to make it stand out. Once he had the mixes, his first choice for mastering, Adam Chamberlain, a local legend for mastering in Oklahoma, agreed to finish it up and it was released at the end of October 2021. 

 

In 2022 Option Ego decided to rewrite the debut white album from a different perspective. Same joke idea, new music, new lyrics, different perspective.  For example, Sad Song is now Happy Song, Dance with Men is now Dance W/o men, Tha Outro is now...........Tha Intro!

The Black album is available wherever you get your music on New Years Eve  2022.

 

OPTION EGO very rarely plays live but when he does, his fans (EGOMANIACS) show up big time. In the short time that Ego has been performing he has won first place in a competition, headlined a festival, opened for Twista at the Criterion, headlined at the critically acclaimed Resonant Head, and the historical Blue Note in OKC.. He is currently plotting his next big show. That is what you get with EGO, a show. You won't want to miss it if he plays again.

 

Lastly, Option has been rumored to be working on a third studio album. His PR and marketing teams are the last to know so we can neither confirm or deny.
 
This is an act…  If his music offends you or you think this is a direct reflection of the person behind Option Ego, then congrats… you are officially part of the joke.